Cherries
by Maiden of the Moon
Summary: You don't say much, do you, Mistress?" he purred, leaning closer and caressing her face with a hand. "Well, I bet I could remedy that. I bet I could make you say my name..." A collection of AixIchimokuren ficlets.
1. Speak

_Disclaimer:_ Hell Girl no mine.

_Author's Note: _WHAT? There's no Hell Girl section on ?! Blasphemous!

Oh well… we'll just have to see what we can do about that.

Anyway, the following is a collection of AixIchimokuren (because they are t3h smexy, y0) ficlet ideas my friends and I have dreamed up while watching the series. Please enjoy!

**XXX**

**Speak**

**XXX**

"You don't really say much, do you, Mistress?"

Ichimokuren tilted his head musingly, one-eyed gaze trained on Ai. As he suspected, she didn't reply; rather, she continued to flick at her toy marbles, hunched over and impassive. Curled on his side nearby, Moku stretched and smiled.

"I mean, I've always noticed—I've just never felt the need to bring it up, I guess. But lately…"

He shrugged a shoulder and chuckled, unperturbed by the lack of response. Ai really was a quiet creature, rarely adding anything to a conversation other than her rehearsed monologues.

But, in his eyes, that was just part of her charm.

"I've been wondering, Miss," Ichimokuren continued in a low voice, a sound almost akin to a purr, "if you might be encouraged into saying something. Something unusual. Something _else_."

His words were colored by an impish smile; he sat up languidly, crawling closer on all fours. Ai glanced briefly to her right, just in time to catch his fingers grazing the tips of her hair.

They were eye to eye before she could blink.

"I bet I could encourage you," Moku breathed, touching her cheek. Almost subconsciously, the small girl leaned closer. "I bet I could make you _say my name_."

Ai, as was the norm, said nothing in response to this. However, her porcelain face turned just the slightest shade of pink, and by her knees her marbles lay forgotten.

She offered him no words of encouragement, but her eyes invited him to try.


	2. Touch

_Disclaimer:_ Hell Girl no mine.

_Author's Note:_ This is a response to "Early Afternoon Window."

Mmmm, shirtless Moku—it's what's for dinner. XD

**XXX**

**Touch**

**XXX**

"She… touched you."

…_what?_

Standing shirtless beside his mistress, Ichimokuren quirked an eyebrow, positive that he must have misheard. But no, he would know that voice anywhere…

Ai had actually spoken.

"Miss?" he blinked, utterly bemused. After all, while it was strange for the Young Mistress to speak _period_, for her to interrupt the flow of a job with chatter? Unheard of! He had a soul to torment, and she had a ferry ride to prepare for—they were both busy. There was no time for talk.

But still, regardless of this, she continued to stand coolly beside Moku, effectively keeping him rooted to the spot.

"She touched you," Ai said again, her voice forever in soft monotone. And yet, there was a hint of irritation buried in the words, and a fury in the blank red eyes that stared, purposeless, into the distance. "She touched you… kissed you…"

Moku's gaze remained baffled for a moment, but soon his face morphed into an expression of amusement and warmth. _Not possible…_ But maybe—

"Could it be," he began quietly, his voice was thick with good humor, "that you're jealous, Young Miss?"

Ai made no reply, statue-still beside him.

So it was true…

The 'young man' nearly hurt himself grinning.

"You have no reason to be," Ichimokuren assured, crouching down before his mistress. Once on his knees, he inclined his head with a hand over his heart, breathing in the scent of cherry blossoms that followed Ai everywhere. And while she did not look at him, he knew she saw him all the same: he could tell by the hidden delight in her eyes. "You are my Mistress, and my reason for being. I belong to you. And you…"

—Here Moku paused, grinning wickedly as he reached out and took her hand in his own, running her cool fingers down his exposed flesh. He shivered deliciously—

"…can touch me whenever and _wherever_ you like."

He released her hand; Ai allowed it to fall limply to her side.

She was appeased.

"…come," the small girl quietly commanded, turning away with a flutter of hair and a swirl of her floral nakajubon. "We have work."

Ichimokuren followed with a cheerful smile.

"Of course, Miss Ai."


	3. Message

_Disclaimer:_ Hell Girl no mine.

_Author's Note:_ Since Ai only responds to the messages she deems worthy of her time…

**XXX**

**Message**

**XXX**

There was never a lack of work. Really, humans were such sad, pitiful, powerless creatures; there were days when over two dozen legitimate revenge requests made it to Ai's computer, each one more dire than the last. And while Ai didn't enjoy the busy times, that certainly didn't mean she could ignore the emails.

Strangely enough, however, that was exactly what she was doing.

"Ai?" The voice of an elderly woman drifted from the back of the house, her words tainted by confusion as her granddaughter sat motionless at the computer, gazing at the screen. "Don't you need to go…?"

"No Grandmother," the child returned flatly, still staring at the message.

Without warning, another message popped up; the machine chimed a second time.

"Now, Ai—?"

"No, Grandmother."

A third; the chime. Then a fourth. A fifth. Messages began appearing rapidly, until the computer's bell became a long, continuous _beeeeeeeep_…

"What the—?" Behind her screen, Ai's grandmother seemed to falter. "What's going on, Ai?"

But Ai—much to her grandmother's shock—merely offered a small smile.

**X**

"Was that _really_ necessary?"

Ichimokuren grinned widely at Hone-Onna, slipping his newly acquired cell phone into the back pocket of his pants. "Whatever are you talking about?" he asked pleasantly, hopping down the building's steps to join his companion on the sidewalk. All around the motley pair, the city's midnight landscape glowed in neon colors; the stripper they'd been stalking for their mistress continued her work in the shop next door.

The skeleton woman arched an eyebrow, unconvinced. "You were harassing the Young Lady, weren't you?"

"Not _harassing_," Moku corrected sweetly. "Just letting her know we were okay. You know, in case she was worried."

"Sure you were." Onna didn't think it was necessary to point out that she'd seen some of the things he'd been typing into the Hell Correspondence name-box, and none of it had been about their welfare. Actually, she didn't even want to _repeat_ what some of it had been about…

But judging by the 'young man's' smirk, he knew that she knew. And he didn't care. Rather, he seemed to _relish_ it.

"You're one sick bastard," Hone-Onna sighed, tossing her bangs with a flourish.

"It happens when you've been a voyeur for as long as I have," Moku chuckled, beaming. "And on that note…"

As he spoke, a large green eye blossomed on the other side of the seedy brick wall, its gaze fixed on the damned, shimmying woman. But while his eyes went back to work, Ichimokuren's mind remained on his texts… and the one response he'd gotten back:

_Your message has been received._

_Hell Girl_

At least he knew she was listening.


End file.
